Goal achieved. Juventus and Inter returned to winning ways and set off again towards the Scudetto, albeit with the unknown Lazio ever more present. The similarities between the successes with Fiorentina and Udinese, however, stop here: if the Nerazzurri 2-0 in Udine, in fact, passed without aftermath, the same did not happen for the Bianconeri 3-0 against the Viola, enriched (so to speak ) from a real river of controversy signed by Commisso, author of very heavy declarations after the match. Object of the dispute, of course, the refereeing of Pasqua, guilty of having conceded two penalties to Juve: and if there is nothing to say about the first, it is about the second that the president of Fiorentina has literally gone wild.
“In six months I've never talked about referees but this time I'm disgusted – he declared immediately after the match – It's not possible that matches are conditioned like this, Juve are already strong on their own, they don't need to be helped. The first penalty could have been there, the second absolutely not: and Nedved shut up, I'm not talking to him but rather to his president".
The final message is the son of the Juventus executive's reply, who had ironically invited him to drink a soothing tea before speaking. In short, very tense nerves, even if reducing Juve's success to refereeing episodes would be really ungenerous. To begin with, the penalty that unlocked the game was clear (Pezzella's arm on Pjanic's shot), on the other hand we can certainly discuss the second but it certainly does not authorize such an outburst.
The feeling is that Fiorentina took the defeat really badly, also because in the second half they created various problems for Juve, coming close to scoring on at least two occasions. However, the Bianconeri managed to keep a clean sheet, something normal until last season and instead become decidedly rare in this one. The usual Cristiano Ronaldo then took care of the rest, scoring for the ninth consecutive game: his brace (40' and 80'), albeit a penalty, was worth three very heavy points, then certified by the final blow from De Ligt (90' ).
Sarri can thus enjoy a more peaceful week, also because his Juve, while not charming, has also given positive responses from a tactical point of view. The 4-3-3 with Douglas Costa as starter worked well, and if it is true that the Brazilian's fragility leads us not to indulge in easy enthusiasm, it is also true that the same, if dosed well (especially in training), could really prove to be the key to the season finale.
“Douglas Costa is a very important player, he is technical, quick and jumps the man – confirmed Sarri – But it is always difficult to keep someone out in attack: Dybala on the bench is blasphemy and Ronaldo continues to score in bursts, he is really making the difference. Commisso's controversies? We had 70% ball possession and played 58 balls in their area, the result is the mirror of the match."
The reply came in the evening.Inter, returned to victory after 3 consecutive draws that had undermined its certainties and serenity. Udine only needed one result, especially after Lazio's bombastic 5-1 and Conte's team took it at the end of a difficult match, in which the Friulians repeatedly put them in difficulty.
It wasn't obvious and not just because of the pressure: the Nerazzurri were missing Handanovic, Sensi and Lautaro Martinez, and Brozovic wasn't at his best either. Antonio has thus staked everything on Eriksen, Moses and Young, i.e. the full January market, moreover, while in attack he has decided to rely on the very young Esposito, perhaps also to goad Sanchez.
The answers weren't particularly positive, on the contrary: the first half was very complicated and the second also started on the same tone. But then, in the 59th minute, the decisive moves came with the introduction of Brozovic and Sanchez in place of Eriksen and Esposito, among the worst up until then. This is not a rejection, simply to see how the Dane is still a fish out of water and the baby striker too immature in the presence of Serie A tradesmen.
In any case, the changes turned Inter upside down in the match, so much so that in the 64th minute Inter unlocked it: an action set by Brozovic, a through ball from Barella and a paw from Lukaku, evanescent up until then, to beat Musso. In the 71st minute Sanchez then took the chair, obtaining the clear penalty converted by the Belgian giant himself, thus returning to score in the league after a fast that lasted since Epiphany. In the final there was room for a couple of chances from Lasagna but Inter, more for aiming errors than for Padelli's saves, kept the result, thus taking home 3 platinum points.
“The victory is deserved, it wasn't easy but I'm happy apart from the last ten minutes where we only thought about defending – Conte's analysis. – We are working for the present and for the future, we took the field with Bastoni and Esposito who are 20 and 17 years old, that's why I always say that the bench is essential. A team like this needs important changes, whoever came in had a good impact, even if I was a little afraid of Brozovic who was suffering from a fairly serious sprain. Sanchez is trying to find the best condition, I hope he arrives as soon as possible…".
Now it's time to focus on the derby, even if the final standings will only take place on Wednesday evening after Lazio-Verona: the risk of facing Milan from third parties is concrete, Conte has the task of transforming it into a further stimulus...
